


Halloween is the Deadliest Time of Year

by AauntyPasta



Category: Diagnosis Murder
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-11-22 22:27:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20881679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AauntyPasta/pseuds/AauntyPasta
Summary: Steve, Mark, Amanda, and Jesse investigate the murder of a hospital board member at a Halloween party.





	Halloween is the Deadliest Time of Year

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this many years ago and thought it would be fun to post for the holiday. Happy Halloween everyone!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Steve found the key that would unlock the front door of the beach house and stuck it into its hole. The doorway was decorated with an assortment of Halloween decorations as the holiday was only two days away. His father, Mark, had always loved Halloween and, therefore, Steve loved the day as well. They always had fun at some Halloween party or another, and this year would be no exception.

He turned the key and walked into the dark house where he flipped on a switch to turn on the lights. He glanced up but didn't pay much attention to the form on the couch.

Jesse Travis lay there covered with blood, his heart hanging from a gash in his chest. His eyes stared blankly at the ceiling, and his skin had a very pale color. The blood ran down his arm and formed a pool on the carpet.

"Hey, Jesse," Steve said as he stopped at his feet.

Jesse's eyes twinkled as he lifted his head. "What do you think?" he asked.

Steve pursed his lips for a moment. "Ten," he said.

"A perfect ten?" Jesse said as he pulled the fake heart from his chest and turned to sit on the couch. "Really?"

"No," Steve said. "I mean you couldn't scare a ten-year-old with that get-up." He went on to the kitchen and opened the fridge. He looked back out around it and added, "That blood better not stain or Dad's going to kill you."

"Don't worry about it," Jesse said, then he licked some of the 'blood' from the heart.

"I hope that stuff is non-toxic," Steve said as he rummaged through the fridge.

"I ought to be," Jesse replied. "It's corn syrup and red food coloring."

Steve snickered at Jesse and went back to his rummaging. Jesse joined him at the fridge, heart still in hand.

"You want a bite?" Jesse asked.

"What do you think I am," Steve said as he looked at the disgusting thing that Jesse held. "A vampire?"

"It's a gummy heart," Jesse said. "You know, like gummy worms? I've got a cousin who sells them."

"I never liked gummy worms," Steve said as he continued his perusal of the fridge. "You've got a cousin who sells everything, don't you?"

"Just about," Jesse said, then took a big bite out of the heart.

Steve slammed the fridge closed. "I think I just lost my appetite," he said as Mark came walking into the room carrying a skeleton. "New friend, dad?"

"Old friend," Mark replied. "Gina says she wants to borrow Mr. Bones, here."

"For the spook house or just for decoration?" Jesse asked.

"I don't have a clue," Mark replied. "I don't think we want to know."

Gina Raymond was a member of the board at Community General Hospital, and she was throwing the annual CG Halloween party like she always did. Her parties were always fun.

"So have you decided yet what you're going to be?" Mark asked his son.

"I haven't the foggiest," Steve replied. "I'll have to see what the costume rental place has."

"You could go as a zombie," Jesse suggested.

"I don't think so Jesse," Steve replied. "There is never a lack of zombies at Gina's parties."

"What about a vampire?" Mark suggested, then both he and Jesse looked him up and down. "Naaaa," They said together.

"No one would ever believe it," Jesse went on.

"Every costume shop in town is out of costumes," Mark said as he took the heart from Jesse and looked it over before taking a bite out of it and handing it back. 

Steve gave his father a strange look and shook his head. "I know," he said. "I have my name on the list at most of them. If no one can get me anything, then I'll just have to go as myself."

"A homicide detective," Mark said.

"Hey, how about a dead homicide detective," Jesse said. "We could put white powder all over your face and....." he stopped at the look Steve gave him. "Or not."

The phone rang at just that minute, and Steve went to answer it. "Sloan residence," he said. "You do?.... That's great...... What is it?...... Uh, maybe I'd better take a look at it first..... Right... OK, I'll take it," Steve said a bit unwillingly. "I'll be over in a few minutes to pick it up." He hung up the phone and looked up at Mark and Jesse who looked at him expectantly.

"So you going to tell us what the costume is?" Mark asked.

"Not yet," Steve replied. "I may get lucky and they might get something better before I get there."

++++++++++++++++++++++

"Never," Amanda said. "Never wait until the last minute to get your costume."

She stood in the middle of Mark's living room in full costume, trying to resist the urge to slug Mark and Jesse as they tried to resist the urge to laugh at her costume. Amanda was dressed in a Little Bo Peep costume complete with frilly pantaloons, a short lacy skirt, and a big pink bonnet. The golden wig's perfect curls stuck out from under the bonnet and a shepherd's crook with a big pink bow tied on it completed the costume. The crook slipped out of her hands and she turned to pick it up, exposing her frilly pink bloomers. Mark and Jesse began to snicker but stopped suddenly when Amanda turned around and studied each in turn.

Mark was dressed in the same costume he had dressed in since Amanda had known him-- a big colorful clown costume with a painted face, rainbow wig, and squeaky nose. Jesse, on the other hand, made a pretty good zombie except for the half-eaten gummy heart hanging from his chest. He also had a big phony kitchen knife sticking out of his forehead.

"You guys really know how to hurt a girl's feelings," Amanda said with a shake of her head.

"That's not so bad," came Steve's voice from the top of the stairs. "I'm debating on whether I should actually wear this thing."

The three friends turned to see that Steve was dressed in a Superman costume complete with red tights and cape with a big 'S' on it.

"You look great," Mark said as he walked around his son.

"I feel ridiculous," Steve replied.

"You didn't think so when your mom made that one for you," 

Mark said with a smile.

"I was a kid, dad," Steve said.

"I like it," Jesse said. "It goes with your eyes."

Steve could tell that Jesse was trying not to laugh. "That's it," he said as he turned and started back down the stairs. "I'm not going."

Amanda chased after him and caught him by the arm with the shepherd's crook. "If you're not going in that, I'm not going in this."

Steve looked at her a minute, then glanced down at her costume.

"You only get one chance a year to look ridiculous," Mark reminded his son.

Steve shook his head. "All right, I'll go. Let me get my jacket."

"Superman doesn't need a jacket," Jesse commented with a grin.

Steve gave him a look that would have killed if looks could kill.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Steve didn't have to worry about looking ridicules at this party. There were more superheroes than you could shake a stick at. And as expected, every other costume was a zombie. As they entered, Gina saw them, waved and came over. She was quite obviously Cinderella, but the blonde wig she wore to cover her dark brown hair looked horrible.

"Hello, everyone," she said, then turned to look Steve up and down. "Mark if I had known you had such a sexy son...." she left the sentence unfinished as the others tried not to laugh at Steve blushing.

She turned to Jesse. "I like the knife. Nice touch." Amanda was next. "Forgot to reserve your costume again I see." Amanda shrugged. "Looks good on you," Gina finished with a smile. "Mark, don't you ever get tired of being a clown?"

"I figure I'm a clown anyway," Mark said. "I might as well look the part."

This brought a bit of laughter from the group as Gina told them to have a nice time and left them to do their mingling.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The seventh pinch to Steve's rear end almost made him decide to go home. Other things made him decide not to, like Gina discreetly coming to him to ask him for his help. Steve's curiosity made him follow her into the mansion's library.

A body lay on the floor in a pool of blood. Amanda was already there examining the corpse. Steve knelt next to it, dipped one finger into the blood, sniffed it and decided that it was real. He looked up at Amanda, who had shed the bonnet, wig, and crook.

"Who is it?" Steve asked.

"Gerrold Loomis," Gina replied. "He was one of the older members of CG's board. One of the richest, too."

"What happened?"

"He was shot," Amanda said. "That much I know."

"How long has he been here?"

Amanda shook her head. "I won't know until I do an autopsy."

"Dozens of people have been through here," Gina said. "No one noticed because they all thought it was part of the party decorations."

Steve shook his head. "Let's try to keep this quiet for now," he told Gina. "I don't want to frighten anyone. We'll take him through the side entrance."

Gina nodded. "Do you want me to alert Mark and Jesse?"

"I'll do it," Steve replied as he stood up. 

He stood there for a couple of seconds before Amanda asked him what was wrong. "Nothing," Steve replied. "I'm just preparing myself to go back out there." He rubbed his butt where the majority of the pinchings had been located. Amanda tried not to laugh.

Mark was fairly easy to find, and he joined Amanda in the library. Jesse, on the other hand, was a lot harder to find. Steve must have seen about a dozen zombies before he found the right one. Somewhere during the party, Jesse had finished off his heart and taken the knife out of his head. Now he looked like every other zombie. But he was eager to help solve the murder.

Mark was leaning down over the body. He made a bit of a sight, a clown leaning over Dick Tracy, but he was serious even with his strange get-up.

"Now we get to play Clue," Steve commented as he stood over the body. "Find out whether it was Mr. White or Miss Scarlett in the library with the revolver."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Superman could see through walls and leap tall buildings in a single bound, but Steve had to go into a room to find out what was inside. He was looking for Debbie Loomis, Gerrold's daughter. When he finally found her, he almost wished he hadn't.

She was in an upstairs closet making out with someone who Steve didn't know. She looked at Steve, looked back at her makeout partner, then kissed him one last time before shooing him out of the closet. She joined Steve in the hall with a yawn. "Nice costume," she said.

Steve glanced down at himself. "I need to talk to you about your father."

"If he sent you," she said as she twirled the tail of her black cat costume. "You can tell him I don't want to talk to him ever again."

"That shouldn't be too hard," Steve told her. "He's dead."

Debbie looked at him, puzzled. "Are you sure? I mean I just saw him about an hour and a half ago. He was fine then."

"Someone shot him," Steve told her. "He's been murdered."

Debbie's hands shot over her mouth in shock then she looked back up at Steve. "You think I did it, don't you?"

Steve shook his head. "I didn't say that," he told her. "I'm just talking to a few people who might have wanted him dead." Debbie nodded, so Steve went on. "Gina is pretty well up on her hospital gossip. She told me that your father was going to write you out of his will."

"Not true," Debbie said then went on a little hostilely. "He was going to change it so that his new wife got a portion."

"I take it you don't like the new wife," Steve said.

"You kidding?" Debbie said. "She is a gold digger. My old daddy with that child!? She's only a year older than I am!"

Steve nodded. "So then you think she might have done it?"

Debbie nodded. "She sure is capable of it." She paused. "Then again, so is Atlanta."

"Atlanta?"

Debbie nodded. "*Aunt* Atlanta is dad's sister. She lost a fortune in Vegas last year." She moved closer and lowered her voice. "She's got a little problem."

Steve nodded in understanding.

"I think dad was going to leave her a trust, but I don't know if he did or not," Debbie went on.

Steve nodded. "Do you by chance own a gun?" he asked.

"One gun that I never use," Debbie responded. "Guns give me the creeps."

"Then why do you own it?"

"My father bought it for me when my apartment was broken into a couple of years ago," she replied. "He said he wanted me to be able to protect myself. Enrolling in self-defense classes would have made me feel a lot better than that gun has. Like he cared anyway."

"Thanks for the information," Steve said. "I've got to...."

"...Fly out of here?" Debbie finished. "You want me to stay available for further chats and stuff, right?"

Steve gave her a look and headed back down the hall, getting a pinch from a lady standing by the head of the stairs. He jumped, rubbed his butt, smiled politely at the woman then headed down the stairs.

++++++++++++++++++

Jesse pushed his way between several zombies and a tall Dalmatian as they danced to the band playing in the ballroom. The band on the short stage was costumed as well, and Jesse stopped to listen to them before moving on. The lead singer of the band was dressed as a vampire in a tight black dress cut down to her belly button, her ample cleavage visible. She smiled at him past the fake-looking black wig and he went on, leaving her singing on the stage.

He pushed past several other costumed guests before he found the guest he was looking for. Myra Loomis was dressed up in a teddy bear costume and she had a doll tucked under one arm.

"Mrs. Loomis," Jesse said loudly. "Could I talk to you for a minute?"

Myra looked over at him with her pretty teddy-bear eyes and nodded. "Great party, huh?" she hollered at him.

"Yeah," Jesse hollered back. "Could we go somewhere a little quieter?"

"Sure," she yelled back. "Let's go into the bathroom. I need to re-do my whiskers."

Jesse followed her away and into the bathroom where she dropped the doll next to the sink. 

"When's the last time you saw your husband?" he asked once they got to the quieter environment.

Myra pulled a bag out from under the doll's dress and began to touch up her whiskers. "About an hour ago," she said. "Why?"

"Because he's dead," Jesse replied. "Murdered."

Myra wrinkled her face. "That is not a very funny joke. I know people play pranks on Halloween, but..."

"This is not a prank," Jesse interrupted. "Your husband has been murdered."

Myra's jaw dropped and her knees buckled. Jesse stepped forward to catch her before she hit the floor. He helped her sit down in a nearby chair.

"Do you know who did it?" she asked, almost too calmly.

Jesse shook his head. "We're trying to find that out before anyone leaves the party."

"Let me guess," she said when she looked up at him. "You think I did it."

"You're a suspect, yes," Jesse told her. "We're investigating."

"Investigating me!" Myra exclaimed as she stood.

"No, we're investigating anyone who had a motive," Jesse said. "Calm down. I'm supposed to ask you a couple of questions."

"I did not kill my husband," she said as she sat back down.

"I'm trying to prove that," Jesse said. "Now can I ask my questions?"

Myra swallowed any further protests and looked at the floor.

"Gina told me that Mr. Loomis had been pretty much ignoring you for a while," he began.

Myra snorted. "Ignoring is hardly the word I would use. He's having libidinous escapades with his secretary."

"An affair?"

"That's what they call it."

"You know this for a fact?"

"I haven't found any solid proof, but he comes home late and takes her on business trips with him," Myra said.

"You don't think it has to do with work?"

"He USED to take ME with him."

Jesse nodded. "What about his will?" he asked. "Did he write you into it?"

"Only to appease me," she said. "I confronted him about the affair, and he said that there was none, but I threatened to divorce him and sue him for a lot of alimony. That's when he changed his will, but all I get is the house."

"That's it?"

"That's it," Myra said. "Next question."

"Do you own a gun?"

"I own several guns," she said. "I like to shoot them off at the range."

"I think that's it," Jesse said. "Thanks for your time, and I think you'd better stick around in case Detective Sloan wants to talk to you."

"I'll stick around," Myra said. "But I can't promise that I'll have a good time."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Atlanta was taking a long drink from a tall glass of wine when Mark found her. She noticed him and held her finger up so she could finish chugging the wine, so Mark looked at her costume as he waited.

The tiny woman was dressed in a short see-through dress that was decorated with sparkles and had wings on the back. She had a wand tucked under one arm and there was glitter everywhere.

Finally, she drained the glass and set it aside. Mark could tell she was already three sheets to the wind. "You _do_ have a ride home don't you?" he asked.

She nodded drunkenly. "My brother is supposed to... to... something...."

"Drive you home?"

She snapped her fingers. "That's it!"

"I'm afraid you will have to make other arrangements," Mark said. "Your brother's dead."

She looked surprised. "You're joking," she started. "Ahhhh. Very funny Dr. Sloan. Funny prank."

"It's not a prank," Mark said. "Gerrold has been murdered."

Atlanta squinted at him, then her face melted into surprise and she passed out in his arms.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Mark and Jesse were in a small office on the second floor of the mansion, waiting for Steve and Amanda to return from their tasks. Steve finally arrived and they reported to each other what the line of questioning had brought. Steve also reported one other interesting fact.

"They found the murder weapon," he said as he handed Mark the plastic bag with the gun in it.

"Who does it belong to?" Mark asked.

"They're still checking the registration," Steve reported.

"They find any prints?"

"Yes," was Steve's reply. "They're running them."

"How'd they kill him with no one hearing?" Jesse asked.

"It's so noisy out in the main party that anyone who heard must have thought it was a car backfiring," Steve replied as Amanda joined them, her hat, wig and shepherd’s crook still noticeably absent.

"He had been dead for a little less than an hour when someone finally noticed him," Amanda reported. "He died of a gunshot wound to the heart." She tossed the file she carried on the desk. "Next time I'm going home to change before I do an autopsy. I feel ridiculous in this getup."

"No more ridiculous in that than I feel investigating a murder in this," Steve said gesturing down at his Superman costume. "I think I have a bruise on my butt."

Mark snickered a moment before he spoke. "All three suspects have motives," he said. "Atlanta passed out before I could ask her anything, but Gina says that Gerrold cut her off when she wouldn't quit gambling.."

"And Myra said that he was having an affair with his secretary," Jesse put in.

"His daughter was kind of angry at him for putting his current wife in the will," Steve said.

"Myra said that all he left her was the house," Jesse pointed out.

"He left her a lot more than the house," Steve said. "I checked the will. She gets his stocks as well. They're worth more than ten million dollars."

Mark whistled. "What about Atlanta?"

"He set up a trust for her, but she can't touch it," Steve explained. "Not even the interest. He set it up so that her bills are paid, and she has to get her lawyer to go with her when she goes shopping...."

Gina burst into the room breathless and just a little panicked. "My party is ruined!"

"What's wrong now?" Mark asked.

"Atlanta hung herself," Gina reported. "In the dining room. People think it's part of the spook house."

Mark shook his head and followed Gina out of the room, Steve, Jesse, and Amanda close behind.

They looked up at Atlanta's dead body as it hung from the chandelier. A chair lay tipped over at her feet and she still smelled heavily of alcohol. People were moving past it and commenting on how real the body looked. 'It ought to look real,' Mark thought. 'It is real.'

Gina closed the doors at one end then began shooing people out the other end until the room was empty except for Mark and the others. Slowly Steve lowered Atlanta's body until she lay on the floor then Amanda got down on one side to examine the body. Her initial exam proved to be interesting.

"Her neck is broken," Amanda announced.

Steve looked at her. "That chair isn't high enough to have done that," he said.

"No it isn't," Mark replied. "Look at her face."

Atlanta had three narrow marks on her cheek and signs of having had a bloody nose.

It wouldn't be hard for even a small person to break Atlanta's neck. She was barely five feet tall, and very thin. Mark doubted that she weighed much more than 100 pounds.

"Looks like finger marks," Jesse commented.

"I think it is," Amanda said as she looked more closely at the marks.

"If it is," Mark began. "Then somebody murdered her as well."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"I need to know where you have been the last half hour since we last spoke," Steve was saying to Debbie.

"I danced, I ate," she said. "I was merry. Anything else?" She took another sip of her punch as she stood in the ballroom next to the food table.

"Exactly where you were," Steve said. "It's important."

Debbie looked exasperated. "I don't know," she said. "Where have you been?"

Steve shook his head. "Look, your aunt has come up dead now. Can you help me find out what happened?"

"Atlanta? What happened?"

"She was found hanging from the chandelier in the dining room," Steve explained. "She was murdered."

"I actually liked her," Debbie said. "And I was with the guy you interrupted me with last time we spoke. Doing the same thing. In the kitchen pantry."

Steve shook his head again. "Did anyone see you?"

"Everyone in the kitchen saw us go into the pantry," she replied. "I had to come out for a drink." She held up her glass.

"Had to come up for air, huh," Steve said. "I'll be sure to ask around and corroborate your story."

"Good for you," Debbie replied she started to walk away then turned back. "You black and blue yet?"

Steve smiled slightly at her. "Not yet."

+++++++++++++++++++++

"Mrs. Loomis," Mark said as he approached the woman in the teddy bear costume. "Could I talk to you?"

Myra shrugged. "Why not? What's up?"

"Your sister-in-law Atlanta," Mark replied. "At least she was. Hanging from the chandelier in the dining room."

"She killed herself?" Myra asked with surprise.

"No, it looks like she may have been murdered," he replied. "Where have you been the past half-hour since you spoke to Dr. Travis?"

"Here and there," she replied. "I couldn't tell you exactly."

"I need to know exactly," Mark told her.

"In the ballroom dancing most of the time," she said.

"Did you know where Atlanta was before that?"

"Probably passed out somewhere," Myra said. "She started drinking almost as soon as she got here and it didn't look like she was planning on stopping any time soon."

"What about Debbie?"

"She was off making out with some guy from what I heard," Myra stated.

Mark looked thoughtful. "Did you happen to bring a gun with you to the party?"

Myra looked incredulous. "Why would I do that?"

"No reason," Mark replied. "Thanks for your time."

"Whatever," she said as she started to turn back to the party.

Mark tapped her on the shoulder and she turned back to him. "Jesse said that you had a doll with you. What happened to it?"

Myra looked under her arm and looked at Mark. "I have no idea," she said. "Why?"

"Just wondering," Mark said and walked away.

"I got the results back on the gun," Steve said as he handed Mark the file. "It was registered to Debbie Loomis."

They were back in the quiet second-floor office discussing the details of the case as the clock struck the half-hour.... 11:30 p.m.

"You think she killed her father?" Mark asked.

"It's possible, but Atlanta's prints were on the gun," Steve replied.

"What do you think happened?" Jesse asked, trying to look over Mark's shoulder.

"Maybe Debbie had Atlanta bring the gun to the party, then shot her father," Steve said. "Then she killed Atlanta because it means she gets more money now."

"Or maybe Atlanta killed Gerrold and Debbie found out and killed her," Jesse put in.

"Or maybe you're both wrong," Mark said with a smile. "We need to find a doll."

Steve and Jesse both looked at Mark with puzzled expressions. 

"One or both of you had it partly right," Mark explained. "You just had the wrong person."

Something clicked for Jesse. "I get it, the doll!"

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Myra entered the quiet office where Debbie had asked her to meet her. A couple of minutes passed before Debbie joined her, holding the doll Myra had been carrying earlier in the evening.

"I think this is yours," Debbie said as she held it up.

"Where did you get that?" Myra said as she tried to grab it away.

"I found it out back in the trash," Debbie replied as she jerked it out of Myra's reach. Debbie shook her head tsking. "Dr. Sloan told me that Atlanta had a bloody nose when she was killed. I wonder where the blood on this doll's dress came from?"

"I cut myself, OK?" Myra said as she reached for the doll again. "Now give it to me."

Debbie jerked it back again. "I don't think so. This is evidence in a murder investigation, and I'm sure that Steve Sloan would like to get his hands on it."

"What do you want?"

"The house," Debbie replied. "I'd feel safer living there."

"Fine," Myra said. "Just give it to me!"

"And....," Debbie said keeping the doll out of reach. "The 

stocks."

"Are you crazy? After all, I did to get them?"

"I should be thanking you anyway," Debbie went on. "Thanks to you, I get Atlanta’s share of the money as well."

"You greedy little bitch!" Myra screamed. "I had Atlanta kill your father and if she had had half the guts you have, I wouldn't have had to kill her either!" She pulled a gun from the folds of the bear costume. "If I have to kill you to get what I deserve...."

"What you deserve is to spend the rest of your life in jail," Steve said from the doorway behind Myra.

Myra gasped, turned the gun towards Steve and fired. Steve leapt out of the way just as the bullet grazed past his arm. Debbie tackled her step-mother, knocking the gun from her hand and pinning her to the floor. Steve picked up the gun and stood over her as Debbie kept her pinned.

"You are under arrest for the murders of Gerrold and Atlanta Loomis," he said as the clock began to strike midnight.

"You want to give me your cuffs so I can cuff her?" Debbie offered.

"Where would I keep a set of cuffs?" Steve asked gesturing down to the Superman suit he still wore.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Mark watched as Steve, still clad in the Superman costume, put Myra Loomis in the back of the patrol car. Steve joined his father and they both watched as it pulled away. Not having any pockets to shove his hands in, Steve crossed his arms over his chest. Mark noticed the tear that the bullet had caused and stuck his fingers in it to point it out to Steve.

"Great," Steve said. "There goes my deposit."

"Look at the bright side, Steve," Mark said. "At least being the man of steel, you couldn't get hurt any worse than the bruises on your butt."

Steve looked at Mark very seriously for a moment before he started laughing and slapped his father on the back. Mark joined him in laughter as they turned and rejoined the party in the wee hours of November first.


End file.
